Orthopedic braces are commonly employed on the body of a user to stabilize a skeletal joint that has been weakened by injury or other infirmity. The brace is typically made up of a number of rigid structural components that are dynamically linked together by hinges to support the joint during user activity. The brace is positioned on the body such that the hinges traverse the joint being stabilized, while the rigid components are secured to the body at a plurality of contact points above and below the joint.
Foam pads are often used to cushion the contact points between the body and the rigid components of the brace because of the ability of the foam to conform to the body of the user. Despite the presence of the foam pads, however, the user often experiences discomfort from painful point loads while wearing the brace because of the high compression forces the brace applies to the body across the contact points during physical activity. Conventional foam pads are either overly compressive or overly stiff, diminishing there cushioning effect. Lightweight foams have not been found which are adequately compressive for the comfort of the user, yet which are sufficiently firm to provide a stable base of support for the brace against the body of the user.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an orthopedic brace that can be secured to the body of a user with both a high degree of stable support and a high degree of user comfort. It is further an object of the present invention to provide an orthopedic brace employing lightweight pads that comfortably stabilize the brace against the body of the user by dynamically conforming to and firmly gripping the contours of the body while fully cushioning the contours from the rigid structural components of the brace.